KiwaNews, Thursday Nov 29, 2007

By: Bob Carpenter, Secretary 941/ 629-5238 carp 813 @ comcast.net

¨ ROBIN STUBLEN'S CHRISTMAS DISPLAY : Member Robin turned on his huge Christmas display after Thanksgiving. He says 90% is completely new and added Santa's Castle this year and hopes to increase donations significantly which he donates half to our Club and half to KFCC. There are 200,000 lights synchronized to music. The Castle is 15x21' with 4,700 lights in 15 sections. Please go to Robin's website at www.ridgeharborchristmas.com for more info. Robin's home is in Ridge Harbor, east of Punta Gorda off U.S. 17 (see his map).

¨ PGI CHRISTMAS LIGHT CANAL TOUR FOR CLUB : Members asked for more club fun get events and Joan Greene has leased out the entire 49 passenger King Fisher Cruise boat to tour the PGI canal lights Sat. Dec. 15. Boat leave sharply at 7:30pm from Fishermen's Village. Deadline to reserve tickets is today! See/Call Joan.

KIWANIS SANTA GOODWILL TOUR PROGRAM : Joan Greene, my wife Kaye and I, leave Saturday for Quito, Ecuador, as part of these annual tours. We have been to China, Brazil, Japan, Scotland and now Ecuador. We have arranged to meet the Kiwanis Ecuador Governor-Elect and Lt. Gov. from Quito on Sunday. We are taking a $400 check for poor children in a city where a California Kiwanis Club has built a school for 1st and 2nd grade students. That is all the education they get. We'll give a report when we get back later next week.

¨ 2007-08 MEMBERSHIP HANDBOOK : The new booklet was distributed Nov.1. Please see me today to pick up your copy of the handbook. Thanks!

¨ PUNTA GORDA KIWANIS POSTER-CHRISTMAS GIFT: Ralph Jordan continues pushing sale of one of our color posters which make a great gift for Christmas. They are $5 each and you provide the frame, or we'll do it for you for a nominal cost. These also make a great house warming gift, an anniversary, for the office, etc. Please see Ralph to get a poster or go to Joan Greene's office, Bill Martin's Insurance, Rick Fox's dentist office, and Peace River Wildlife Gift Shop.

¨ PG KIWANIS ASSISTS YMCA READS PROGRAM :

Last Tuesday night at Meadow Park Elementary, a large group of kids and parents showed up at the YMCA Reads Program set up by Linda Boehm and BiBi Ullah, assisted by Pres. Sheryl Flavin, our Lt. Gov. Joan Greene, and my wife Kaye Carpenter. PG Kiwanis furnished “snacks” to all.

¨ PGK KALENDAR:

Dec. 1: CCCC Christmas Parade Hotdog/Pepsi sales.

Dec. 1: Christmas Card Lane set up in Gilchrist Park.

Dec. (TBA): H&SV Salvation Army Bell Ringing.

Dec. 8 : Aqui Esta Cleanup, 8:30am.

Dec. 15 : Club's King Fisher Cruise to view PGI Canal lights.

Dec. 17 : Love of Kids Dinner/Gifts, here at Am. Legion.

Dec. 20: Spouses Christmas program/82nd Club Anniversary.

Dec. 31: Deadline to submit KFCC scholarship nominee.

Jan. 5: Christmas Card Lane take down at Gilchrist Park.

Jan. 12: Gov. Mark's Div-18S Visit/Banquet in Englewood.

Mar.1: 3rd Kiwanis Family Kar Show, Jones Loop/Piper Rd.

Mar. 29-Apr. 3 : Florida District cruise to Grand Kayman & Jamaica. Go to www.flridakiwanis.com for details or see Carp.

¨ CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKETS : Roger Enger is coordinating the CS annual food basket program. See Roger if you'd like to help including delivery.

¨ CHRISTMAS CARD LANE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS: Gene Murtha is looking for volunteers to help install the “cards” on Dec. 1. We have a man who will do the post hole digging with a machine. Pablo Roca did a re-mailing last week and there are about 38 of 60 entries so far. If you have a business or non-profit group, please get them involved this great community project.

¨ NEXT PNM LUNCHEON TUESDAY DEC. 4 : Prospective New Members and their sponsor are asked to meet at the River City Grille at 11:30 a.m. We have 4 PNM's who members brought to meetings, they are: Darrin Metz (Diehl); Ed Miller (Hicks), Don Rutherford (Ginter) and Don Rutherford (Ginter) . Please turn in application ASAP. For Kiwanis to do more community service, we need more members. Bring a PNM.

¨ LAST WEEK : Major Caleb Prieto, new Salvation Army Corps officer.

¨ TODAY's PROGRAM : Member Kaley Miller with an update on Mosiac mining operations.

¨ SPEAKERS: Dec. Chair is Bill Klossner. Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27; programs TBA.

¨ DOOR GREETERS : November is Simon Denova; December is Roger Enger.

¨ BIRTHDAYS LAST WEEK : Robin Stublen, Don Kiah, Bob Armstrong, Carol Garner.

¨ ANNIVERSARY LAST WEEK : None.

¨ WELCOME BACK LAST WEEK : Robin Stublen, Larry Taylor, Debra Scott, Robin Lindecamp.

¨ GUESTS : To many to name as T-Day breakfast guests.

¨ 50/50 WINNER : $65, President Sheryl Flavin.

¨ ALUMINUM CANS : Members are asked by Community Service to bring aluminum cans for The Peace River Wildlife Center. Please double-bagged cans and put in Ben Scott's car .

¨ What we are … Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time!”